The Effects Of Isolation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

For most people, prolonged social isolation negatively affects their health. Psychological experiments on the effects of isolation have been conducted by multiple universities and scientists, all of which have come to the same conclusion; isolation is physically and mentally detrimental. Some of these experiments had to be called off due to the extreme and bizarre reactions of those involved. The experiences of people held in solitary confinement—the despair, the disorientation, the hallucinations—are well documented. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck implies that when people live in solitude, they become desperate for companionship. Human nature can be better understood by this theme and is developed through the thoughts and feelings of the

She approaches Lennie in the barn and while trying to spark a conversation, she blurts out, “I get lonely. You can talk to people but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley” (87). Lennie is not someone she would ordinarily talk to, but in her desperation for a friend, she reveals her true feelings. This scene is not the only time she has ever revealed how she truly feels to get someone to talk to her. While looking for her husband, she stumbles across Lennie, Crooks, and Candy, all of whom have some form of a disability. After attempting to talk to the three men and being rejected, she exclaims, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?” (77). Curley’s wife explicitly states that she is desperate to talk to someone because she is constantly being isolated from the world. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck implies that when people live in solitude, they become desperate for companionship over time. Curley’s wife rarely leaves her home, as instructed by Curley. She is willing to talk to anyone she can find. George sees Lennie’s disability as a quick and easy way to gain a companion because he knows it will be easy to gain Lennie’s trust. George longs for a companion. Both characters, George and Curley's wife, lead primarily solitary lives and have become desperate for companionship as a result of their